Debonair Dad

Getting Out of the House: Fraternalism, not Fraternization

2009-10-12T20:31:00.000-05:00

I don't know any guy out there that needs to get away from the family on occasion. However, those of us who are married with children typically don't want to go to some bar and get drunk and do stupid things with our single friends (like we have many left), and get ourselves into trouble.

Lets face it, I like my couch for the occasional nap, but not for a long period of time, and that's exactly what would happen if I were to head to the bars.

Therefore, instead of fraternizing and getting into trouble, how about fraternalism? Getting together with the guys to talk about things beyond sports, women, and booze? That's fraternalism. There's only one place I know of for adult guys to get together for the purposes of fraternalism, and that is Freemasonry.

Thanks to Dan Brown's latest book, The Lost Symbol, Masonry is in the forefront of the media. Masonry brings together men of all ages, races, nationalities, and religions for conversations, serious study in history, philosophy, legend, faith, and ritual. There are two things that are not discussed in lodge, those being politics and religion. Both of these subjects tend to divide people, so they are not discussed in lodge.

In my lodge, we have papers and gourmet dinners every other month, with business meetings on our off months. The papers range in a variety of topics, from the founding fathers, to the legend Beowulf.

Masonry does much more than give guys a place to hangout without (and sometimes with) the family, forget the outside world, and simply enjoy the camaraderie of other guys with similar interests.

So, instead of going out, and spending the week on the couch, try doing something that improves yourself while having fun. Try fraternalism, not fraternization.

Cerebral Combustion

2009-10-06T19:41:00.001-05:00

Tonight, I am foregoing what I had originally planned to write about and discuss more pressing matters. After work today, my children started driving me crazy before I could even get in the house. This persisted until about 10 minutes after bedtime, by which time I had (and still have) a huge headache.

So, tonight we're going to discuss headache remedies.

Ibuprofen does an okay job cutting a headache, but you have to take it in large doses to cut a kid-induced headache.

Acetaminophen seems to do a little better job for me. But again, you have to take a little more than the recommended dosage.

The only drug that I've found that will cut a kid-inuced headache are the migraine formulas. For some reason, the blend of acetaminophen, caffeine, and more just do it.

So, what works for you?

Hopefully, I'll get a much better article out tomorrow.

Driving Me to Drink: My Guide to Booze

2009-10-05T22:45:00.002-05:00

Sometimes my kids just drive me crazy. I didn't realize it until I came home from work late one evening to discover my wife having one of those "girlie malted beverages". The kids were in bed, and I asked her, "What? They can't be that bad". That was a mistake.

My wife then responded, "You try staying with them". So I did. My wife came home when I was on my third beer.

Truthfully, my kids aren't that bad, most of the time. In fact, they're really great.

But that little story always comes to mind when I think of alcohol.

In this article, I'm going discuss booze. I'll go through some of my favorite beers, wines, and hard liquors. I'll also ask for your opinions on a few. Remember, that if you drink and drive, you deserve one of two things: to get caught by the police and have your license permanently revoked, your car burned while you watch it, and your forehead tattooed with "I'm a moron"; or to get yourself killed in a car accident. There is NO EXCUSE FOR DRIVING DRUNK! Call a cab, or crawl home, but don't drive!

Now on with the show.

Beer

There's a lot of beers out there to choose from, just walk down your local grocery store aisle (unless you live in Pennsylvania, or some other state with backward liquor laws). Personally, I don't like light beers. If I want a light beer, I'll have water. I like beers with flavor. Here's my top 5:

1. Yuengling Lager
This wonderful brew from Pottsville, PA is hands down my favorite. Brewed by the oldest brewery in the US, the Yuengling family has owned and operated this elixir from heaven since 1829. I first fell in love with this low cost beer while living in PA, and have visited Pottsville, which is an amazing town.
2. Mill Stream Schild Brau Amber
This great brew from Amana, IA is another delicious beer. This microbrew reminds me of some of the great beers I had while traveling in Europe. With the historic Amana Colonies being not all that far away, I am always sure to take my growler (or three) when I'm out that direction. However, you can buy it bottled at local grocery stores in this area.
3. Olde Main Dinkey Wheat
Although from Ames, IA (home of the Iowa State Cyclones, in-state rivals to my Hawkeyes), Olde Maine makes a great wheat beer. Crisp, yet refreshing, this wheat is a great summer beer. It's available locally in most grocery stores.
4. Widmer
This beer from Portland, OR is just plain good.
5. 312
From Goose Island Brewing, 312 is a great beer with a slice or orange. Some would say that fruit in beer is wrong, but I just dare you to try it.

What do you like?

Wine
Wine!? Yes, wine. It's awesome with a good steak or prime rib, or just alone. Here's my top three:
1. Gran Sangre by Torres
This is my all time favorite! A blend of grenache, syrah, and cariñena. We only enjoy it on special occasions, as a bottle can cost about $30.
2. Maleña by Torres
A straight up grenache, it's a great taste at a great price. If you pay more that $15 a bottle, you're getting ripped off.
3. 14 Hands Cabernet Sauvignon
I'm usually not a "cab" drinker, but this is like no other cabernet. You should pick up a bottle (or case for that matter). It runs about $12 a bottle.

So, you may be wondering, why no whites? I simply don't like white wine.
Your favorites?

Rum
I like rum, either neat or on the rocks. If you're going to mix these rums, that's a sin.
1. Pyrat
A friend recently introduced Pyrat rum to me, and wow.
2. Captain Morgan Private Stock
My brother introduced this to me, and I keep at least one full bottle on had, just in case...

I'm not asking your opinion on rum, because these are just too hard to beat.

Whiskey & Scotch
1. Glenfiddich 15 year old
An extremely smooth single malt Scotch, this is one that is best served neat or on a couple of rocks. Drink sparingly though, it's about $50 a bottle.
2. Isle of Jura 10 year old
Another good single malt. Don't get the Superstition though, it's disgusting. The good stuff is another you may want to share sparingly, it's also about $50 a bottle.
3. Jack Daniel's Single Barrel
Being somewhat of a Jack Daniel's connoisseur (just ask my wife, she remembers how I knew the process of making Jack Daniel's better than the tour guide), I love my Jack. This small batch Jack Daniel's is the closest thing you'll find to a scotch that's made in the US.
4. Jack Daniel's Gentleman Jack
Twice charcoal mellowed, this whiskey is for sipping, not mixing.
5. Templeton Rye
Templeton Rye was Al Capone's Prohibition Era drink of choice. And if you can find a bottle, get it. It'll probably cost you about $50 a bottle, so you may not want to share.

Other Liquors
1. Absinthe
Absinthe has a reputation, but like everything else, in moderation it's good. Although tough to find in the US, it's worth it if you can find it.
2. Cuarenta y Tres
This is a great vanilla liqueur that is best on the rocks.
3. D'Arisiti Xtabentun
Originally a ceremonial drink in Mayan times, this honey, rum, and anisette liqueur is thick but tasty. Try it on the rocks.

PS None of the companies I mentioned either endorse this blog, nor are they compensating me for this free advertising. But I wouldn't mind if they would...

Eureka Moment

2009-10-04T23:18:00.000-05:00

My family and I escaped to the Lake of the Ozarks for the weekend. While there, we spent a a couple of hours at the local outlet mall. As we strolled through stores like Banana Republic Outlet, Brooks Brothers Outlet, Eddie Bauer Outlet (one of my favorites), GAP Outlet, and the Nautica Outlet; I couldn't help couldn't help but think to myself, "Man, I used to dress that good. I used to take a lot of pride in my appearance. Now I'm a guy with a beer-belly and a couple of man-boobs. What happened?"

Then, as my son tugged at my arm, it hit me like a freight train, "Oh yeah, I'm a dad. I'm supposed to be a dork. Plus, I can't afford these nice clothes anymore". Regardless, I found a couple of great deals on a couple of shirts and a pair of chinos (one shirt and chinos from the Eddie Bauer Outlet, and a shirt from the Banana Republic Outlet). They're not exactly high-fashion, but they are professional, yet fashionable.

Later that evening, my wife was perusing through the magazines in the condo (no, we don't own the condo, in fact, we're still paying for the used minivan we drove to it in) and found Best Life by Men's Health. She looked through it while I played prison warden to our six and three year old. As she finished reading the magazine, she said to me, "You should read this, I think you'd like it". So, I did look through it, and I also liked it.

But, as I flipped through the pages, I couldn't help thinking to myself, "I'd love to dress like that again. But look at those brands! I know those prices, and we'd have to win the lottery before I could afford them!". As that was going through my head, my lovely wife made the remark that maybe we should get a subscription. I retorted, "Why!? We couldn't afford anything in here anyway.".

Then it hit me, why not start a blog about mens fashion, dad fashion; and other things all "real guy", not "super rich magazine guy"? So, I intend to include articles on fitness (or lack there of), social stuff (i.e. getting out of the house without the kids, and maybe the wife too), and any other topics for dads on a budget.

So, here we are, "Debonair Dad". I'm sure that I'm not the only guy in this, so, lets pool our ideas. I invite guest articles! After all, we're all in this together.